


the fox and the hound

by sundrymunity



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Characters Added As They Appear - Freeform, Gen, more to come probably - Freeform, phantom thief oikawa vs detective iwaizumi, what else is there to say, whenever i feel like it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-09
Updated: 2015-02-14
Packaged: 2018-03-11 06:56:06
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,995
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3318170
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sundrymunity/pseuds/sundrymunity
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>inspired by <a href="http://haikyuuquotes.tumblr.com">haikyuuquotes</a>'s AU idea, which is honestly one of my favorites to read and write. i took a little liberty with it but it's mostly stayed true to the idea itself.</p><p>"Profession thief Oikawa Tooru and private eye Iwaizumi Hajime.  During the day, Oikawa is the cashier for Iwaizumi’s favorite cafe.  However, at night, Iwaizumi is determined to catch an elusive thief that is disrupting the Japanese economy."</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> i couldn't resist. first vampires, now cops and robbers, they're my weakness. if you'd like to reblog the tumblr post that goes with it - and please consider doing so! - it's right [here](http://inthenyxoftime.tumblr.com/post/110502711036/haikyuuquotes-profession-thief-oikawa-tooru-and).
> 
> thank you and please enjoy!

The wall's hard at his back and he scans the area for escape routes. There's a drainpipe not too far away he could scamper up, but those things always give way. Trash cans _always_  provide a secure distraction. Just above is a window, but it's closed. The walls that close him in have seen better times, strewn with Tokyo's artwork, and they're just a little too high up to climb safely. Oikawa licks his lips and looks straight ahead, eyeing the man before him. They're at a standstill right now, a gun pointed at his pretty masked face, and the detective doesn't waste time in readying it for a shot.

"Give up, Kitsune Gao," the alias Oikawa'd chosen for his escapades, "this time you _really_  don't have any place to run. And the trash can trick won't work on me again."

" _Such_  a pity, Detective Iwa-chan," he coos in response, marking it out of his mind. "And I suppose you've already called back up to surround my escape as well?"

The silence confirms his suspicions - and raises them too, because it could be just a bluff, though he can't hide his surprise when Iwaizumi shakes his head after a moment, gun still trained on him.

"You're mine."

It's so clearly stated, with such bold confidence, that Oikawa simply stares at him and presses his hand to his chest, feeling his heart thump hard beneath his palm. "Well, that's never happened before," he murmurs to himself, and then proceeds louder. "My, my, how romantic of you~. Girls don't like persistent men, you know. Your devotion is quite admirable."

Iwaizumi barks a laugh, taking a quick glance around to make sure he's got the area secured. Oikawa keeps the drainpipe in mind.

"Even if you were a girl, I wouldn't hold back." _Liar_. He's always been a little softer on women, a little sweeter. It's why all the girls in the cafe want to wait on him and why Oikawa has the esteemed privilege of laughing behind his hand when they don't get him that week. "Are you gonna come quietly or not?"

"That wouldn't be very professional of me, would it?" He uses the darkness to his advantage, rolling balls between his fingers with a grin. "I'm an entertainer, Detective, I don't come quietly for _anyone_. Especially not you," ending with a purr and the hard smack of multicolored smoke bombs in front of the cans, rattling them on his ascent on the pipe, and the bullet that echoes through the air makes him flinch momentarily in his escape.

Iwaizumi's still coughing from the smoke - the cause of his faulty shot, that _really_  was too close for comfort - but he growls and starts after him. "You're not getting away this time!"

"Sorry, Detective, but I've got a job tomorrow and I can't be caught being up late at night! Let's have another date next week~!"

With a few more bombs that leave the detective caught in a coughing fit Oikawa makes his escape across the rooftops, a fluttering piece of paper left behind in the mess with the same sentence as it always did, with a simple drawing of a fox and a star:

_Better luck next time!_

\--

It's so much easier to stay up late than it is to wake up the following morning, at six sharp to shower and do the rest of his rewardingly tedious routine, but Oikawa forces himself up with a groan and rubs his back.

"I _really_  shouldn't have landed so hard. Roll, roll, roll. That's a basic..."

It's a fruitless lesson learned however, and he yawns loudly as he does what he should've done landing last night and _rolls_  out of bed. Hopefully it wouldn't be too busy of a day.

But, of course, it is. The cafe's always busy. Always. Mostly due to the fact it's an ever changing cosplay cafe, today's uniform being in the style of royalty. The waitresses are dressed as princesses, the waiters princes, and it's with a careful grace they do their duties, acting as hosts for the other noble party - the customers. Oikawa stands regal as he can, but it drifts into half dozing in a lull between morning and lunch. He'd get in trouble if he was caught sleeping - a fate he fears more than being caught by Iwaizumi - and thankfully he doesn't get too far before there's the chime of the door's bell and he stands, his usual smile gracing his face.

The one that charms all the girls.

And not the customer that's just entered, Iwaizumi himself.

The first time that he'd found the detective to be a paying guest he'd nearly had a heart attack, but when it was clear that his two professions could be neatly divided it was more of not slipping up in any way (and _especially_  not liking how good he looks in uniform, how _illegal_ ) Oikawa had a wonderful time of serving him.

Today he gives him a cordial nod, voice lilting playfully as he bows his head just so.

"Good afternoon, Iwaizumi-sama. Would you prefer your usual table?"

Iwaizumi chuckles a little, nodding, and it's such a wonderful difference with how he treats Oikawa Tooru, host of Fantasy Come True Cafe, and Kitsune Gao, the fox masked phantom thief currently making him a laughing stock.

"You look _ridiculous_ , Oikawa. Enjoying yourself? And yeah, sure."

"I _am_  enjoying myself, thank you. This is the most comfortable I've felt with myself in a while - and even _you_  have to admit I look wonderful in these threads."

Iwaizumi looks him up and down with a quirked brow, but settles with shaking his head as Oikawa calls for Ayumi-chan to take care of their esteemed regular. She'd been kind to him. Hadn't asked about the bruises on his face as she'd applied make up for him one morning. Sweet girl. The flutter of his heart leaves with Iwaizumi and there's a renewed energy in his body, the warm smile he gives the next in line more real than it had been ten minutes before.

Though his good mood's no way connected to the guy who's set to catch him. Absolutely not. Definitely, _definitely_  not.

(Even if the confident statement of " _You're mine_ " makes itself home in his mind and stays with him into the following week, the next crime, a solitary cat and mouse, and all Kitsune Gao-- No, all _Oikawa_  wants to do is be pressed against the wall with a gun against his ribs and teeth on his neck.

It leaves him waking sweaty, breathless, and thankful he's living by himself in his modest one bedroom apartment. The moans he's caught himself bouncing off the walls are embarrassing enough.)

\--

The secret has to come out sometime, of course. By accident. By fate's cruel hand, a simple tug on the string and Oikawa finds himself flat on his back, hugging his leg tight and heaving at the pain. His ankle's in serious pain. Might be a little more than a sprain at this point, more than a twisted joint. He rolls over and crawls towards a dark corner, hoping Iwaizumi loses his scent and just leaves him be. But a hunting dog rarely leaves a trail cold.

And Iwaizumi's the best in the city.

Oikawa lifts his mask enough to breathe easier, softer, as he spots the detective stalking his way, gun held up and ready to go. _This is it,_  he thinks to himself, _this is the end of me. I wonder if he'll listen to a last request or ask me why I did all this, let me have some time to escape_.

But he knows it won't end up like that. Iwaizumi's too good, knows him too well, they've been playing this game for a little over two years and maybe it's time to give up the thief act. A phantom's no good if he's tangible.

"Oi," he hears echo down the way, "I know you're hiding in here, so come out with your hands up."

His ankle is _throbbing_ , and it makes it hard to vocalize anything but soft, pained whimpers. The footsteps cease and Oikawa holds his breath, closing his eyes to focus on anything but the pain. In, out. In, out. Calm. It's probably not that bad. So much for rolling.

"No retort? Has the great Kitsune Gao finally been rendered speechless, or did you knock yourself out?" _There's no way it can be the second,_  Oikawa can hear in Iwaizumi's voice. He's known for his fleet feet and quick wit.

So he takes a shaky breath, pulling down his mask and forcing himself to stand, favoring his right leg discreetly. "Neither, my dear detective," he purrs lowly, sucking in sharply and straining a hidden grin. "I was only waiting for you to lower your guard."

Iwaizumi eyes him suspiciously. Doesn't seem like his words have been taken to heart, what a shame. He's afraid of moving in case it ends up worse than it is, too, so he stands his ground even when Iwaizumi brushes the barrel of his gun against his chest and a shiver runs down his spine.

"Not running?" He asks, and Oikawa's thankful for the mask to hide his expression.

"Let's say I'm aiming for a more dangerous game this time, detective." Can't let any weakness show or he's done for real. "I'm rather tired of always running."

The entire thing's weird, he knows. Not their usual routine. Oikawa tries to keep conscious of his surroundings - there's some boxes to his left, the wall's an easy climb even without those, at this closeness he could at least... at least... His mind doesn't connect it as well as it needs to, dulled by the pain centered in his ankle.

"I'm not buying your shit. Surrender or run, your choice, but I'm not letting you get away."

A tense few seconds, then Oikawa laughs and shifts to the side, sliding down against the wall to the detective's clear alarm. "Well then, detective, I have to regretfully say that I've met my match."

"You're giving yourself up? Just like that?"

"Isn't that what you've always wanted?" Oikawa gestures for Iwaizumi to sit, but the offer's refused. "Don't you have a promotion or something waiting on your desk for my capture?"

No response. Oikawa pulls up his pant leg and squints in the dark, working off is shoe careful and wincing. "-- Shine some light over here, officer? I'd like to see if I can walk with you to the station or if I'll have to disgrace myself further with a piggyback ride."

"You hurt yourself?"

"No, I just want you to see my beautiful legs," he replies dryly as the detective turns on his flashlight and squats down, gun set out of the thief's reach. "Oh? Not afraid of me turning on you?"

"Not with that sprain." Iwaizumi prods his ankle gently and Oikawa hisses softly, fingers pressed hard to the concrete ground. "... You really messed it up, huh."

"There's a first time for everything, Iwa-chan. I'm only human."

Iwaizumi pauses, tucking the flashlight in the crook of his neck as he moves closer and further from his gun. It'd be a perfect set up to get away if Oikawa's heart wasn't too loud for his thoughts at the careful ministrations. "I was under the impression you were a creature of legend, Kitsune."

"Most nights I am. Tonight, it seems I'm as human as you are. How does it look?"

"You're not walking. Or escaping, for that matter." The gun's put back in its holster but Iwaizumi doesn't move from his spot, turning the flashlight onto Oikawa's face. He winces. The mask does a lot, but it doesn't dampen the light any. "Am I gonna get to see your face too?"

The thief stays quiet, a coil of fear finally settling around him as he remembers their positions and he nods. "Get that light off me, I'm shy."

Iwaizumi snorts. Oikawa's hands shake and lifts the mask up, relishing only in the shock that crosses the detective's face.

"If you're going to ask me why," he sets the mask in his lap and brushes out his bangs with a forced smile, voice undisguised and as sweet as the one he uses in the cafe, "don't bother, Detective Iwa-chan. It's all a fun game for me. It's just your own fault you didn't catch me until now."

Though a part of him wonders if it'd just been because Iwaizumi might've enjoyed their game as much as he had. An unconquerable criminal can be fun. The detective's brows furrow for a moment and he pinches Oikawa's cheek, ignoring his cry of pained protest.

"It's really you, huh. The guy from the cafe. Oikawa."

"The one -- and only. Will you stop that? I'm in a sour enough mood as is, I don't need you to rub salt in my wound. Are we going to the station or not?"

 _It'll be difficult to move him,_  Oikawa reads in Iwaizumi's expression, and so he blows out his mouth and tucks the mask away in his jacket, spinning his black shoe on a finger.

"I won't cause you anymore trouble, Iwa-chan. No matter what you have the upper hand so long as my ankle's like this."

Iwaizumi doesn't have to trust him - shouldn't, really, he could be bluffing for all the other knows - but he turns around and helps Oikawa on anyway, a soft _one, two_  and he's going up, arms tightening around Iwaizumi's neck slightly. Well, this is it. It'd been a fun two years. Started off small and now he was as well known across Japan as any figure of legend, his name printed large on headlines with every daring escape. There'd even been a fanclub going strong on the internet, Oikawa remembers fondly. They'll have to stop if they didn't want to get in trouble.

It occurs to him halfway there that they're no going to the station and he frowns. "Detective, are you being so bold as to take me to your home?"

"What? No, I'm getting you to a clinic to get that ankle of yours checked out." Oikawa's grin widens and he presses his cheek against Iwaizumi's heated one.

"Oh? Well then, thank you. You're very kind for a hound that's been after me since day one."

Iwaizumi grunts but doesn't reply, just moves steadily and ignores the stares they're getting. Oikawa waves cheekily at them. Since it's a quiet walk there anyway.

It's just a bad sprain. Nothing that won't heal with a little TLC. _Something I can get in jail,_  Oikawa muses, watching the detective out of the corner of his eye as he speaks quietly on the phone. He's turned just enough that he can't read lips either. Iwaizumi's fingers drum in his pocket and then against the wall, pausing a moment and sliding down to his side. The phone's tucked into the same pocket and the detective comes to sit beside him in the waiting room, the injured ankle between them.

"Boss wants me to bring you in for questioning about all the things you've stolen," hushed whispers, thankfully, "but I got her to loosen up a little to wait until morning. You look like shit."

Oikawa hums, steadying the icepack on his ankle. "You're really kind, Detective. Especially for a dog that's been hounding me for the last two years."

"Well, you're only human."

The parroted words resonate in Oikawa's chest, ricocheting against his heart, and he smiles, looking at his hands.

"Soft hearted. I bet you get flack for that, huh? I... Thank you, I guess. I _do_ want to look my best before I charm the head of your department."

Iwaizumi snorts, readjusts the pack and crosses his legs at the ankle as they wait for the taxi he'd called before his boss. "Yeah, good luck with that. Shimizu-san isn't so easily won by a pretty face."

"We'll see about that," he murmurs, but he'll take Iwaizumi's word for it. Winces as he stretches his ankle experimentally and shrugs at the scowl from his opposite. It was worth a shot.

"So how did you feel when you saw me come in on your first week, huh?"

\-- Oh, the cafe job. Oikawa rolls his shoulders and keeps an eye out for the taxi. "I was pretty scared that you'd recognize my voice, but it's easy to change how you talk. That's why I didn't say anything the first time I took your order and put it down as being a shy first timer to my boss. I'm not used to seeing such ruggedly handsome men from my night ventures pop up in front of me, you know."

"I'm not biting."

"Too bad. I wouldn't mind your teeth on me." The casualty finally gets him riled up, cheeks darkening, but the taxi saves Iwaizumi from further provocations and Oikawa hobbles on crutches after him, already planning his escape from jail.

Maybe that fanclub would by useful after all.


	2. special valentine's!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> yup! couldn't resist! love writing this au! featuring kageyama and the mysterious mention of a new thief..?

Kitsune Gao always sent his notices a week in advance. Oikawa Tooru, the identity of the mostly uncatchable thief, had stopped working at that cosplay cafe that served the amazing coffee and seemed to disappear off the face of the Earth, so Iwaizumi didn't have a single lead as to his whereabouts... Just the note that had the usual scent of cologne and a fox with a star.

_I'll steal something close to you!_

What the ever loving hell could _that_  mean?

He flicks through his phone's contacts, wondering who he should call, and settles for no one with a heaving sigh. The taping from across from him stops and Kageyama, his protégé, speaks up.

"Um, Iwaizumi-san. Is everything okay?"

"Ah? Yeah, it's nothing. Just Kitsune being his usual cryptic self."

The younger furrows his brows as Iwaizumi hands the note off to him, scrunching his nose at the strong smell. The detective barks out a laugh and waves it off. "You get used to it."

"Something close to you... Does he know where you live, Iwaizumi-san?"

He shakes his head. "I already thought of that. I don't have anything that's his type to steal anyway. He likes the more unattainable things that sparkle and shine."

Kageyama seems just as stumped as he is when he returns the paper, and Iwaizumi blows out from his mouth as he rereads the simple note. Something close to him.

... Maybe he'll stick around home just in case.

* * *

Saturday night finds him sitting on his worn couch, the cushion dipping down pleasantly against his aching back and a beer in his hand. The shrill buzz of his doorbell interrupts the program on TV - some mystery he'd solved half an hour ago - and he stands with a groan, dragging his feet to the door to open it.

To nothing. Well, no _one_. There's plenty of things there, all displayed prettily in the light of his door, and Iwaizumi rubs his head. A ring and run, plus... Whatever this was? Chocolates, flowers, a limited edition of set of the novels he'd been wanting for a few years now that'd gone out of print _ages_  ago--

"Why?" He asks out loud, suspecting the perp'd be nearby, and he's not wrong as he holds back a startled yelp when a fox mask swoops down from the floor above, Kitsune Gao's familiar laughter filling the air. "-- What the hell're you doing, you damn fox?! Finally surrendering yourself?"

"Not a chance, Detective Iwa-chan. Only showing my appreciation of your avid devotion towards me after all these years."

Iwaizumi stays on his guard, wishing his gun wasn't on the kitchen table where he'd left it, and the fox flips down and spreads his arms.

"Don't like it? It took me _ages_  to find all the books for that series, you know. I thought you'd like it - it was one of my favorites when I was a kid."

"That's odd to hear from Japan's most wanted criminal."

The thief chuckles again, waving his hand. "How so? I was fascinated by the person Suzumi-san was trying to capture, how she always eluded the detective, and thought that maybe I could be that sort of person someday too. It seemed like fun." The pause weighs heavy on Iwaizumi for a moment, but the next words seal the deal. "And you've made it _very_ fun, Iwa-chan. I wouldn't want anyone else in the world to chase after me."

They sound too sincere and not honeyed enough for Kitsune's usual persona, and if it's just Oikawa speaking (because he's human too, Iwaizumi remembers from months ago) why didn't he just take off the mask? It feels like the other's waiting for an answer... but he doesn't know how to respond.

"... Well, if the sentiment isn't returned, that's fine," Kitsune replies to the silence. Was he disappointed? "I guess everyone fails once in their life."

"-- What was it that you were planning on stealing, Kitsune?" A belated question, bringing it from the odd confession-like words back to the matter from before. If the phantom thief is anything but his playful self he doesn't show it in any form.

"You still haven't figured it out? And you call yourself a detective." Taunting, the usual, but it doesn't rile him up any for some reason. Maybe because it sounds sincerely disappointed, as much as the other seems to play it off. "Why, I thought you were Japan's best, Iwa-chan. Or at least Tokyo's."

"Shut up and cut to the chase."

"Oddly threatening for someone without a gun on hand. But fine, I'll spell it out for you."

Kitsune rests a black gloved on his mask, hesitant, and then takes it off, shaking his bangs as Oikawa. As objectively good looking as he always had been. Iwaizumi still doesn't know what this is all about, but whatever it is clearly made the other uncomfortable. And red? ... _Was_  it a confession?

He's not really sure how to feel if it is.

"I was hoping I could steal some of your time, Detective. I know you have today off - not on your own accord, but because of your lovely director - so I was thinking perhaps that you and I could grab something to eat? Or see a movie, I'm not picky."

"How did you know I was off?"

"-- Answer a question before you ask your own, Detective! Ah, but a little birdie told me. My protege, you could call him. Darling boy. Determined, sweet, looking for a detective of his own... You don't know anyone you could set him up with, do you?"

Iwaizumi's avoiding the other question - because it sounds too much like a date and he _still_  doesn't know how to respond to it or the confession(?) - and surprises himself with how quick he answers this one. "I have someone in mind."

"Oh? Really?" Oikawa looks as surprised as he feels, and it's so nice to be able to _see_  that, Iwaizumi realizes. Though it makes his job harder in catching the thief when he remembers that Japan's most wanted criminal is just as human as anyone else, with his own reasons for stealing (whatever they were) and grinning so pleased at the news. "He'll be happy to hear that! How soon can he get on the job? My little one's almost ready to be kicked out the nest, I just have a few things to teach him and then that's that."

"I... don't know. He's been working on another case that's frustrated him for a while--"

"Then it'll be a good break for him. I mean, you have fun chasing me down, don't you?"

"No, you're a goddamn _pain_  to deal with," though the second realization of yes, he does have a lot of fun playing this game with Oikawa - with Kitsune Gao, he corrects himself - sits uneasily comfortable in his mind. Thieves shouldn't be fun to catch. Kitsune had never hurt anyone, true, and all of his exploits read like something out of a picaresque novel. Fun, entertaining, someone the young and worn down root for. Even though it probably wasn't like that at all... Was it?

"... Is something the matter, Detective? You look a little befuddled."

"It's nothing. Are the chocolates and flowers your idea too? 'Cause I'm not a fan of sweets and don't have any place to put the flowers anyway."

Oikawa snorts, plucking a rose from one of the bouquets and waving it in his face. "If you're going to be so ungrateful to my gifts, maybe I should've stolen them like I was planning in the first place. I spent good money on these."

"Now _that's_  a laugh. A thief? Spending money?"

"I'm not heartless. People need to eat as much as I do."

Iwaizumi studies him, trying to figure out why he stole. Was it just for fun? Because he wanted to? Because he longed for the same thrill as in the books they both apparently enjoyed? Oikawa's staring at him right back, crossing his arms and chewing his lip. Did he even realize he did that, or was it a nervous tic?

"... You're probably wondering why I steal, aren't you. I didn't exactly give you an answer while I was in your custody." Which he'd soundly escaped a month into imprisonment with the help of some anonymous group on the internet, which he'd claimed were his faithful fans to Iwaizumi. Oikawa plays with the mask, staring down at it. "It's just as I said: I wanted to have the same chase that Suzumi-san and Himawara-san had. There's nothing quite as romantic as a single minded determination, you know?"

So it was the last. Iwaizumi glances down at the gifts, then back up at the man before him, remembering he still hadn't answered anything.

"Uh. Thanks. For the... stuff," he starts off awkwardly, neck starting to burn. What the hell kind of thief showers the guy who's going to lock him up with gifts? What was the occasion, anyway? "And the compliment? But I'm not solely devoted to you, your case is just the one I have the most trouble with."

"That still brings me a lot of joy, Iwa-chan. And it brings Kitsune Gao a lot of joy as well." He taps the mask, placing it over his face with his trademark haughty laugh. "Well, well, Detective! If that is all you have to say for yourself, then I shall take my leave!" and lowers it again, grinning widely. "Unless I can stay and join you for dinner? Or is that against protocol?"

"This entire thing is. I _should_  be locking you up, on the clock or not."

"And yet you're not. I have the perfect escape right behind me, after all. It's futile." Oikawa leans back against the railing, the happy grin turning smug. "I don't think I'll be sticking around long anyway... I got what I came for. Oh, and Iwa-chan?"

Like it's a normal conversation, like they're not on opposite sides of the law. "... What?"

"Don't ever chase after anyone who isn't me, okay? I want to be your only one." It's so serious that it throws Iwaizumi off for a moment, and before he can say anything the mask's back on and a kiss is blown his way, the thief dropping down and escaping away.

Iwaizumi rubs his hand over his face, stares down at the gifts, and sighs heavily. Another beer it was

... And maybe a book, he grudgingly decides, taking everything inside.

* * *

"You look tired, Iwaizumi-san," he looks up at Kageyama's voice the following Monday and huffs a laugh, shaking his head.

"Ahh, it's nothing. Just stayed up reading too long."

The books were as good as he remembered, and he hates that it was Oikawa-- Or should he say Kitsune Gao? Who got them for him. Iwaizumi drums his fingers on his desk, then gestures for Kageyama to sit down, thinking about the thief's odd request from that night. He folds his hands together and stares hard at the younger.

"... Kageyama, how would you feel about being given a real case? Something to sink your teeth into. I know you've been working yourself hard on the other one, but this might be a fun one for you."

"How can anything like this be fun?" It's true, that's not the word one'd use in reference to crime, and Iwaizumi tries to forget the fondness in Oikawa's words when he's spoken about it.

"There're some things that're fun about it. You might get frustrated more than that, but it'll always give you something new."

Kageyama frowns, but takes the paper that slides across the desk to him.

"Is this... a notice from a thief?" A pause. "It's not Kitsune Gao?"

"A reliable source tells me that he's got himself an apprentice thief, and I want you to nip it in the bud. Think you can do it?"

"-- Yes! Of course!"

Iwaizumi chuckles warmly, standing as Kageyama does and ruffling the other's hair. Hopefully that confidence wouldn't drop anytime soon. He's got a good head on his shoulders and it'd be a damn shame to lose it. Especially to someone that's under that infuriating thief's wing.

"I'm looking forward to word of your success, Kageyama."

Kageyama nods, pink in the cheeks as he struggles to keep a straight face and _not_  grin, and leaves. It'd been so long since he had that same joy at being given a case by his superior... There's nothing quite like it, Iwaizumi decides. It's a once in a lifetime feeling. He drops back down, smoothing his fingers over the second note that'd come with the new thief's notice.

 _Thank you, Detective Iwa-chan_ , it read, the trademark fox drawn with a heart this time, _I'm looking forward to seeing how you've raised yours._

Iwaizumi chuckles, a wide grin on his face. "You might be surprised just how quick Kageyama picks up, Kitsune. I hope your pupil's ready."


End file.
